Chương 42: Chapter 41 A Forest Without a Map

Half a day had passed since Karath departed on his first official hunt with the settlement's warriors. He had killed a troll during his coming-of-age ceremony, but that victory had relied primarily upon his combat ability. The adults had hunted for years before Karath was allowed beyond the settlement, so he assumed they would have much to teach him. He quietly followed his uncles and older companions, observing how they hunted without offering any criticism. At last, he reached a conclusion.

"Hahaha. This is a complete disaster." Were these fools joking? What had happened to all the training they had done together during childhood? Had there only been a few small problems, Karath might have become angry and corrected them one at a time. Instead, the situation was so hopeless that he could only laugh. It reminded him of inheriting a program written by someone who had patched every new problem with a temporary solution until the code became a grotesque, twisted abomination.

He did not even know where to begin. Touching the wrong section might cause everything to collapse into an even greater disaster.

"Do you agree, Buddy?" Karath gave a hollow laugh and looked toward the wolf pup following beside him. Buddy wagged his tail as though encouraging him, then licked Karath's leg. The pup had already proven that Karath's concerns were unnecessary. Once they entered the forest, Buddy remained completely silent. Whenever Karath concealed his presence, the young wolf instinctively attempted to hide its own. Perhaps it was simply following the hunting instincts of its species.

Whatever the reason, looking at Buddy was far more relaxing than watching the disaster unfolding around him. Then again, wolves belonged to the canine family. No matter where Karath looked, everything had gone to the dogs.

"Why are you hunting without setting any traps?" Karath directed the question toward Krog and Kaden, who had spent hours wandering in search of prey. In their own way, the two were experienced hunters. Their ability to identify tracks and other signs was clearly superior to Karath's. Years of playing something between hide-and-seek and wilderness survival had also made them skilled at concealing themselves. Once they discovered prey, they usually approached and killed it without much difficulty.

The problem was that all those advantages mattered only after they found something. How were they supposed to know where prey might be while aimlessly wandering through the forest all day? Karath had never been a professional hunter in his former life, but even he knew that hunters used traps to catch animals. Krog and Kaden had spent years building traps to torment one another during hide-and-seek. Why had they abandoned the method while hunting?

Karath did not expect primitive tribespeople to solve every problem independently. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. However, they could at least use something they had practiced for years.

"We set traps at first," Krog replied.

"That was how we learned."

"But we were told to stop," Kaden added.

"Why?"

"The uncles fell into them." Karath stared at them.

"Why did the uncles enter your traps?"

"Because they walked through the places where we set them." That was technically reasonable. The traps the children once created had looked like harmless pranks. After more than five years of hide-and-seek, however, their construction skills had advanced beyond common sense. The forest also offered countless places to conceal traps. Even adult orcs familiar with hunting would struggle to notice something prepared by Krog or Kaden. One question still remained.

"Why were the uncles walking through the place where you were hunting?"

"To hunt." Karath's expression became blank.

"The uncles went in that direction earlier."

"Yes."

"Then why would they fall into a trap here?"

"If they keep moving while looking for prey, they might eventually come this way. We might also wander into their area." Karath and the two brothers stared at one another in mutual confusion. Why did the conversation keep circling around itself? After forcing himself to continue questioning them, Karath finally understood the cause. There were no assigned hunting areas. His ignorant but precious tribespeople simply entered the forest, separated, and hunted wherever they pleased.

They had no agreements, boundaries, or rules.

"Then divide the forest into separate areas."

"Divide it how?"

"Mark the areas on a map."

"What is a map?" Karath closed his eyes. Of course there was no map. This damned primitive society had no maps. Back in the modern world, Karath had used them so naturally that he never appreciated their importance. A smartphone allowed anyone to view a map or navigation system whenever needed. During childhood in the Bloodclaw settlement, he had never understood their value either because he was confined within the village. The moment he began exploring the forest, he realized how essential they were.

The problem extended beyond patrols and hunting. Suppose Karath discovered an iron deposit or another valuable resource. Perhaps another orc would find something useful and report it to him. Without a map, someone would have to guide Karath to the location repeatedly until he memorized the route. The tribe desperately needed a map. Unfortunately, none existed. There was only one solution. Karath would have to make one himself. The answer was painfully simple and equally exhausting.

One week after recognizing the need for a map, Karath gathered the adult warriors. During that time, he joined the hunters and patrols each day, then worked on the map whenever he returned. He obtained a large animal hide from the women processing the tribe's catches. Using ash from burned wood and the blood of hunted animals, he drew the surrounding terrain across its surface.

"This is called a map." Karath displayed the rough product before his uncles and older companions.

"The settlement is here in the center. This is the front gate, and this is the rear gate. These directions are east, west, north, and south."

"What are east, west, north, and south?" The first question arrived before he finished the opening explanation.

"They are words used to describe directions. The place where the sun rises is east. Where it sets is west. Using those as references, this side is south and the other side is north." The conversation might have driven another person into despair. Karath had served as caretaker for the tribe's children since he was nine years old. Questions at this level no longer affected him.

"When you leave through the front gate and continue in this direction, you eventually reach an enormous tree, correct?"

"Oh! Karath means that tree."

"Yes. Karath drew it here. From now on, hunting groups will use that tree as a reference and spread out in four different directions."

"Why bother?"

"Because your routes will not overlap. If several groups enter the same area, setting traps becomes dangerous and the hunt becomes less efficient." The orcs nodded and said they understood. Karath could not tell whether they truly grasped the explanation or merely accepted it because he had spoken.

"Does anyone know of a useful landmark between north and east from this tree? Something enormous, such as an unusually shaped tree or rock?"

"I do!" Krog raised his hand immediately.

"If the distance from the settlement to the large tree is this long, then it should be around here. There is an enormous rock shaped like a rabbit!" Krog stepped forward, estimated the distance, and pointed to a position on the hide. Perhaps because he had spent more time with Karath than any other child, he understood Karath's explanations better than the others. It was also possible that he had simply been born more intelligent.

"Does anyone know useful landmarks directly north or east?"

"If you continue east, you reach the river!"

"There is a cliff far to the north!" After seeing Krog's example, the other orcs began offering everything they remembered. Each time someone described a landmark, Karath added a simple drawing to the map.

"From now on, we will divide the forest into hunting areas using these landmarks. Every morning, decide which group will enter each area before leaving. Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Yes, Karath!" His adorable little chicks answered with thunderous voices. They were somewhat foolish, but they listened well. That made them strangely endearing.

"After each hunt, draw the area you explored on a piece of animal hide like this. We will continue expanding the map and adding more details." There was a reason Karath presented an unfinished map instead of waiting until he had completed everything himself. Mapping the entire forest alone could require years. Once the hunters understood the basic idea, Karath could distribute the work among every adult orc who regularly explored outside the settlement.

"Understood!" None of them asked why a more detailed map was necessary. Perhaps their brilliant minds had immediately recognized its importance. That was impossible. They were doing it because Karath told them to. That was the power of the achievements and trust he had accumulated over fifteen years.